Why aren't we talking about Novak Djokovic

[Anonymous]

I’ve been a tennis fan for decades. Djokovic is an incredible player. And his unionization efforts are interesting. But I am not a fan. There have been way too many instances of poor judgment and sportsmanship (see as just a few examples the Olympics, his pandemic exhibitions with no safety protocols, anger management issues resulting in the embarrassing US Open default). So historically he’s at best a mixed bag. But he’s dead wrong on this. He should have just gotten vaxxed and been done with it. Or been public about his basis for an exemption. He has a huge ego even for an athlete and acted like he knows better than the medical experts and didn’t need to follow the rules. It was stupid of him to expect to waltz into Australia without major blowback. Nadal’s response was spot on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Part of the reason he is so unpopular on tour is everyone is convinced he is on PEDs and is very good at masking. His physical fitness is unparalleled and he’s mid 30s.

Former Pro Player

Look up Jaromir Jagr

I did. I don't get the connection.

He's playing pro at 49.

Yes, but he’s not playing for 5hrs, then turning round and playing for 5hrs the next day. He is outlasting and out grinding players in their early 20s. It is faintly suspicious if you ask me. Shades of Lance Armstrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Part of the reason he is so unpopular on tour is everyone is convinced he is on PEDs and is very good at masking. His physical fitness is unparalleled and he’s mid 30s.

Former Pro Player

Look up Jaromir Jagr

I did. I don't get the connection.

He's playing pro at 49.

Yes, but he’s not playing for 5hrs, then turning round and playing for 5hrs the next day. He is outlasting and out grinding players in their early 20s. It is faintly suspicious if you ask me. Shades of Lance Armstrong.

Neither is Djokovic and he’s 35 not 49

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Part of the reason he is so unpopular on tour is everyone is convinced he is on PEDs and is very good at masking. His physical fitness is unparalleled and he’s mid 30s.

Former Pro Player

Look up Jaromir Jagr

I did. I don't get the connection.

He's playing pro at 49.

Yes, but he’s not playing for 5hrs, then turning round and playing for 5hrs the next day. He is outlasting and out grinding players in their early 20s. It is faintly suspicious if you ask me. Shades of Lance Armstrong.

Neither is Djokovic and he’s 35 not 49

I think you need to look at his record in grand slams. I think you’ll find he outlasts most players on tour. 35 is ancient in tennis for the style he plays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Part of the reason he is so unpopular on tour is everyone is convinced he is on PEDs and is very good at masking. His physical fitness is unparalleled and he’s mid 30s.

Former Pro Player

Look up Jaromir Jagr

I did. I don't get the connection.

He's playing pro at 49.

Yes, but he’s not playing for 5hrs, then turning round and playing for 5hrs the next day. He is outlasting and out grinding players in their early 20s. It is faintly suspicious if you ask me. Shades of Lance Armstrong.

Neither is Djokovic and he’s 35 not 49

I think you need to look at his record in grand slams. I think you’ll find he outlasts most players on tour. 35 is ancient in tennis for the style he plays.

Grand slams are given an extra day of rest and he picks and chooses what tournament he’s playing at this stage

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Part of the reason he is so unpopular on tour is everyone is convinced he is on PEDs and is very good at masking. His physical fitness is unparalleled and he’s mid 30s.

Former Pro Player

Look up Jaromir Jagr

I did. I don't get the connection.

He's playing pro at 49.

Yes, but he’s not playing for 5hrs, then turning round and playing for 5hrs the next day. He is outlasting and out grinding players in their early 20s. It is faintly suspicious if you ask me. Shades of Lance Armstrong.

Neither is Djokovic and he’s 35 not 49

I think you need to look at his record in grand slams. I think you’ll find he outlasts most players on tour. 35 is ancient in tennis for the style he plays.

Grand slams are given an extra day of rest and he picks and chooses what tournament he’s playing at this stage

Didn’t he play beat Murray in 5 sets and over 5 hrs on Friday night/Saturday morning at the Aussie open in 2012 then beat nadal in close to 6 on the Sunday afternoon. Admittedly it’s 9 years ago but I remember thinking it was a bit suspicious at the time - 11 hrs of brutal tennis in just over 36hrs seems insane. Nadal’s been accused of doping as well. They probably all bend the law as much as possible to gain any advantage.

[Anonymous]

He’s just not likeable, but is so desperate to be loved by the fans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He’s just not likeable, but is so desperate to be loved by the fans.

This. He’s a lunatic only supported by crazy Serbians

[Anonymous]

He can still choose to be vaccinated and enter to play AO. It’s one thing for an antivacxxer to lose a minimum wage job, he’ll be extremely stupid to give up the chance to win another slam just to make a political stand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He’s just not likeable, but is so desperate to be loved by the fans.

This. He’s a lunatic only supported by crazy Serbians

You don't have to like him, no one said you did! But accusing him of cheating on or off the court is another matter. Using him for political gain (basically maiming him into the country by giving him an exception and a visa, and allowing him to board a plane) is just lowest of the low.

I hope he uses the moment to shine a light on the asylum seekers who are being held in Australia at the same hotel for 9 years! One of them entered at 15 and is now 24.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/07/everyone-asks-about-novak-but-mehdi-has-languished-for-nine-years-in-australian-immigration-detention

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been a tennis fan for decades. Djokovic is an incredible player. And his unionization efforts are interesting. But I am not a fan. There have been way too many instances of poor judgment and sportsmanship (see as just a few examples the Olympics, his pandemic exhibitions with no safety protocols, anger management issues resulting in the embarrassing US Open default). So historically he’s at best a mixed bag. But he’s dead wrong on this. He should have just gotten vaxxed and been done with it. Or been public about his basis for an exemption. He has a huge ego even for an athlete and acted like he knows better than the medical experts and didn’t need to follow the rules. It was stupid of him to expect to waltz into Australia without major blowback. Nadal’s response was spot on.

This. I’ve tried to give him the benefit of the doubt as a tennis fan but way too many instances of poor judgement. Gave up one whole slam and looking like a second because of poor choices. Ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been a tennis fan for decades. Djokovic is an incredible player. And his unionization efforts are interesting. But I am not a fan. There have been way too many instances of poor judgment and sportsmanship (see as just a few examples the Olympics, his pandemic exhibitions with no safety protocols, anger management issues resulting in the embarrassing US Open default). So historically he’s at best a mixed bag. But he’s dead wrong on this. He should have just gotten vaxxed and been done with it. Or been public about his basis for an exemption. He has a huge ego even for an athlete and acted like he knows better than the medical experts and didn’t need to follow the rules. It was stupid of him to expect to waltz into Australia without major blowback. Nadal’s response was spot on.

This. I’ve tried to give him the benefit of the doubt as a tennis fan but way too many instances of poor judgement. Gave up one whole slam and looking like a second because of poor choices. Ridiculous.

He was injured. Society keeps asking top athletes to just work through whatever is going on, but they are human.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been a tennis fan for decades. Djokovic is an incredible player. And his unionization efforts are interesting. But I am not a fan. There have been way too many instances of poor judgment and sportsmanship (see as just a few examples the Olympics, his pandemic exhibitions with no safety protocols, anger management issues resulting in the embarrassing US Open default). So historically he’s at best a mixed bag. But he’s dead wrong on this. He should have just gotten vaxxed and been done with it. Or been public about his basis for an exemption. He has a huge ego even for an athlete and acted like he knows better than the medical experts and didn’t need to follow the rules. It was stupid of him to expect to waltz into Australia without major blowback. Nadal’s response was spot on.

This. I’ve tried to give him the benefit of the doubt as a tennis fan but way too many instances of poor judgement. Gave up one whole slam and looking like a second because of poor choices. Ridiculous.

“Big fan” PP here and I can definitely understand and respect this view but it also doesn’t excuse what the Australian authorities have been doing. Now they’re hunting down other athletes who were also given an exemption and putting them into deportation facilities. What a joke.

[Anonymous]

I’m not a fan of his but they are mishandling this terribly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been a tennis fan for decades. Djokovic is an incredible player. And his unionization efforts are interesting. But I am not a fan. There have been way too many instances of poor judgment and sportsmanship (see as just a few examples the Olympics, his pandemic exhibitions with no safety protocols, anger management issues resulting in the embarrassing US Open default). So historically he’s at best a mixed bag. But he’s dead wrong on this. He should have just gotten vaxxed and been done with it. Or been public about his basis for an exemption. He has a huge ego even for an athlete and acted like he knows better than the medical experts and didn’t need to follow the rules. It was stupid of him to expect to waltz into Australia without major blowback. Nadal’s response was spot on.

This. I’ve tried to give him the benefit of the doubt as a tennis fan but way too many instances of poor judgement. Gave up one whole slam and looking like a second because of poor choices. Ridiculous.

“Big fan” PP here and I can definitely understand and respect this view but it also doesn’t excuse what the Australian authorities have been doing. Now they’re hunting down other athletes who were also given an exemption and putting them into deportation facilities. What a joke.

PP here. I agree that the Australian government has mishandled this. There should have been better coordination among the tournament, state government, and the federal (or national or whatever it's called there) government. Djokovic never should have been given the exemption and allowed in the country to begin with. Djokovic shouldn't have posted on IG about it though and his parents need to stop whining about how he's being held prisoner in a hotel and that he needs better accommodations, etc. He's choosing to stay and appeal and it's not like they're going to switch him over to the Ritz Carlton or some resort and post security there to make sure he doesn't go out in public and possible spread the virus. It's all a shitshow but this is a PR disaster more for him than the Aussies. At this point, he should just go home. He's not going to be allowed to play and fighting this may cost him in the long run from a business and endorsement perspective. Again, big ego and poor judgment.